There is nothing that a good night’s sleep can’t solve. Is there actually a scientific basis for this?

Whenever something annoying or sad happens, your friends may comfort you like this:

Just take a shower and have a good sleep!

(Image source: Baidu)

What I’m going to tell you next is that there is nothing that can’t be solved by a good night’s sleep, and there is really scientific basis for this.

A deep and peaceful sleep

Helps relieve mood

The study published in the Journal of Neuroscience showed that:

Restful, deep sleep helps relieve emotional distress, while poor sleep quality increases the risk of experiencing difficult events such as emotional trauma.

In short, a high-quality sleep is like an eraser that can help us erase unnecessary emotions.

This is thanks to REM sleep

Generally speaking, we go through three stages when we sleep: light sleep → deep sleep → REM sleep. This sleep cycle usually cycles 4 to 6 times a night.

REM sleep plays a key role in alleviating emotional distress. During this stage, memory-related neural pathways are reactivated and daytime memories are consolidated.

Our emotional memory is composed of information memory of "emotions" and "events".

When we experience sleep again and again, our memory is gradually consolidated, and the "emotion" will gradually disappear because it is not consolidated. In the end, only the memory of the information about the "event" itself remains.

Dreams also help digest daytime emotions

The REM sleep stage is when people dream a lot. Many dreams that we can still remember clearly after waking up usually occur at this time.

At this time, stress hormones decrease, allowing the brain to activate more memories, presenting them in the form of dreams, stripping away the "emotions" in our memories.

Therefore, the longer the REM sleep, the less people will react to events that trigger emotional memories.

How can you get a peaceful and deep sleep?

A good, deep sleep is not something you can only dream of. Try the following three tips to adjust your sleeping environment from the inside out and get a good night's sleep easily!

01 When facing troubles, learn to let go

Generally speaking, when we encounter troubles, it is difficult to stop thinking about them.

But we can set a 20-30 minute worry time before going to bed, write down our inner worries and some current thoughts with a pen, then tear off the worry paper, let go of the thoughts, lie down on the bed and fall asleep.

(Image source: Pexels)

02 Stay away from blue light and read more books

The blue light emitted by electronic products will inhibit the production of melatonin and drive away our sleepiness.

You should avoid using electronic products, including mobile phones, tablets, and televisions, one hour before going to bed. What can you do before going to bed without checking your phone? Read a book! But don't read books with exciting plots, which will make it harder to fall asleep.

(Image source: Pexels)

03 Create a completely dark environment for a more peaceful sleep

Different light sources can also hinder the secretion of melatonin, interfere with our biological clock, and conflict with a peaceful and deep sleep.

A completely dark environment can help improve sleep quality. We can turn off the lights in the room, including the night light, draw the blackout curtains, and wear an eye mask if necessary to create a bedroom environment that is as dark as possible.

(Image source: Pexels)

Final Thoughts

When you are sad, please remember:

Life is about getting through each difficulty! If every night is hard, don't endure it anymore, just go to sleep! There is nothing that can't be solved by a good night's sleep. If there is, then sleep again!